


Jail house Visitation

by CMMLovr



Series: Newsroom Fanfic Challenge 2015 [1]
Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: Gen, post-episode oh shenandoah, prison!fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-19
Updated: 2015-03-19
Packaged: 2018-03-18 16:17:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3575850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMMLovr/pseuds/CMMLovr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snapshots of Will's conversations with his visitors.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jail house Visitation

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this back in January for Lilacmermaid's Newsroom Fanfic Challenge 2015, but forgot to post it (sorry!). Thanks for the prompt!

“I’d offer you a shot of bourbon, but…” greets Charlie, a smirk on his lips.

“I know, I know, I decided to get myself arrested,” replies Will, familiar with this greeting.

Seated opposite each other, Charlie smiles and Will regards him suspiciously.

“How’s jail suiting you?” asks Charlie, “still in charge of morale?”

“Oh no – y’know, I’ve no one else to force morale _on,”_ declares Will, “and aside from missing my wife like hell, I’m doin’ just _fine_.” He drawls the end of his sentence sarcastically, a single brow raised as he regards Charlie closely.

“Speaking of your darling wife,” grins Charlie, “think you could tell her to ease up on being such a pain in my ass the next time she visits?”

“I told you to fire her,” quips Will lightly, “that very first day, I told you she’d be trouble!”

Charlie makes an unintelligible noise, waving his hand at Will good-naturedly, “If I’d done that, you’d never have married her,” he smirks.

“And you wouldn’t be here right now,” retorts Will smugly, “with a virtuous pain in your ass.”

“Maybe I’m okay with the pain,” replies Charlie snarkily, “keeps the integrity of the news and gives me an excuse for Pruitt.”

“Masochist.”

“You’re damn right I am, if it means that I can keep real news on the air.”

Sighing pensively, Will replies, “that bad, huh?”

“Worse,” says Charlie grimly, “I feel like an ass because I have to keep hounding Mac to keep up appearances, Money Skirt’s just doing what she always does – with Don’s encouragement, of course – and I just want to applaud and strangle them _simultaneously,”_ he gripes, wishing that he had a drink in his hand.

Nodding his head sympathetically, Will changes the subject back to his wife, “How’s she holding up?”

“Well, considering. I mean, if she’s able to irritate the hell out of me, she must be just _peachy_. How do you think she’s holding up?” he snarks good naturedly. “God, were we this bad to Leona and Reese?”

“We were worse,” chuckles Will, “we blackmailed them.”

“Damn, I almost feel sorry for Reese,” laughs Charlie, his smirk back in place. Then, glancing at his watch, Charlie stands and says, “I’ve got to go, or Nancy’ll have my head. Sloan should be in to see you soon, though, and I’ll keep our usual appointment,” he winks.

“Go on then, rub it in that you’re going back to your wife,” gripes Will good-naturedly.

Charlie turns on his heel, making one of his odd Charlie-noises of assent as he waves to Will over his shoulder.

* * *

 

“So…where’s Don?” asks Will conversationally, breaking the lull in conversation that had lapsed between himself and Sloan.

“Oh, he’s at home – I mean, his house. We’re not close enough for me to-”

“Sloan,” interrupts Will as he senses a long and trailing tangent, “relax. I’m not going to report you to HR, especially not now,” he jokes, gesturing to his surroundings and beige uniform. Smirking at her through the glass, Sloan can understand that this is probably the most fun he’s had all day – and if flustering her with mentions of her boyfriend (kind of? That still needs figuring out) gives him pleasure, then she’s willing to allow it.

“Good point,” she murmurs quickly, glancing around her, “I guess I could’ve let him come, then.”

“Nah, I’m okay with just talking to you, Sloan. I’m just curious,” he grins mischievously, obviously having asked out of more than just _curiosity._

Sighing perceptibly, as though she were annoyed by his question, Sloan responds, “Well, we’ve kind of got this guy from HR, uh, I don’t want to say _stalking_ us, but…”

“He’s sniffing around where he doesn’t belong,” growls Will, a look of discomfort on his face.

“Well, yeah. I mean, compared to what Mac’s dealing with, he’s nothing. Easily dealt with.”

“How is Mac handling everything?” asks Will quietly, concern evident in his tone. Despite his incarceration, Will has been kept appraised of everything at ACN, and his concern for his wife grows with each passing day.

“You know – I mean, well, _you_ don’t, but uh - she seems okay. Or, y’know, as okay as you can be with a husband in prison, a staffer in Venezuela because of a criminal investigation and a total fucking overhaul in the newsroom.” Sloan trails off uncomfortably; aware that she’s made Will far worse than he had already been feeling. “Sorry,” she mutters.

“Don’t worry about it, ‘lil ‘sis,” says Will wryly, “how are those social skills coming along?” he asks somewhat meanly.

Noting the expression of concern in his eyes, Sloan doesn’t respond to the sarcasm of his last comment. Instead, she chooses to talk about Mac some more, hoping to reassure him. This only serves to set Will off on a daydream about his absent wife, mourning the fact that he can’t see her all day every day now that they’re actually _married._

“Shit – I’m sorry, Will. I have to go – Mac and I need to prep for the show tomorrow,” Sloan says apologetically. Sighing, she gazes at his saddened features and wishes that she could reach out and hug him, despite not usually liking physical affection.

At least the thought of Charlie visiting him would cheer him up.

Waving sadly, Sloan stands to leave, promising that she’ll let Mac know that he’s doing okay. Will stands after she leaves, allowing himself to be taken back to his cell by the warden, knowing full well that he’s in for another night of boredom and little sleep.

* * *

 

“No visitors today, McAvoy.” The guard clangs against the bars, waking Will from a fitful nap. Shuddering as he sits up, Will glares at the guard blearily, wondering whether or not this is some new punitive measure designed to make him give up his source. Shrugging passively,  Will nods towards the guard, his voice cracking as he asks to be allowed to borrow more books.

“Not today,” is the guard’s stern reply, almost as though he’s willing Will to understand _something._

Narrowing his eyes, Will says nothing and waits for the warden to take his leave. Sighing, Will rests his back against the wall of his cell, saddened by the fact that he won’t be seeing Charlie in the evening.

Later in the day, when Ms. Halliday comes to visit to inform him that she’s close to getting him out, Will is pleased that Charlie won’t have to visit him; he daydreams about sharing a drink with his best friend before the day is out.

It’s evening when he finally takes his first breath of fresh air in three months. The night sky I pitch black, the street illuminated only by street lights that hover above him. Will revels in the feeling of freedom, appreciating that it was hard won by Ms. Halliday for him, and anticipating his post-incarceration drinks: something Charlie had been promising him since his very first visit. He strides quickly over to Mac, overjoyed to see his wife, not noticing that though she is happy to see him, something in her eyes is broken. When she clings tightly to him, Will assumes that it’s just because she missed him – and it’s not until he hears her sniffling in his ear that he pulls away to look at her properly.

_“Charlie had a heart attack a few hours ago. He died.”_

The guard had been right, that morning. Will wouldn’t be seeing his usual visitor today. The thought strikes him before he can really comprehend it: he is no longer in jail – thus, he should be free to see Charlie without having to label it a ‘visit’. Yet, he will never be able to see Charlie again. Never be able to thank him for everything he’s done for him. Clenching his jaw tightly and hoping that his tears don’t fall before he can step into the relative privacy of the car; Will nods mutely in Mac’s direction, scooping her into his arms as she rubs his back consolingly.

Well, that’s one way to end the visitation cycle.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed it, please leave a review!


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